Friday, July 17, 2009

Pancake Mix A Huge Hit and More - From the Mailbag

I thought I'd post a bit of the positive feedback we've been getting recently.

We supplied our Pancake and Waffle Mix to Community Natural Foods in Calgary for there annual Calgary Stampede Pancake Breakfast. It's always well attended but this year the numbers were -huge-.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for all of your support for our Stampede breakfast. The Kinnikinnick pancakes were a huge hit with not only the G.F. customers but as well others that just wanted to try it.

We went through it all except and had just enough for the last pancake stragglers at the end. All in all it was a huge hit. I heard comments from many in line that they never have tasted it before.....boy were they good......

We estimated 2100 people at the breakfast and we still had to turn away another hundred or so at the end.

And speaking of our Pancake Mix, I received this via Twitter from GFinSC

best pancake mix by far! Been doing this for 8 years and haven't found other brand that comes close!! Thank you!

Our new Personal Pizza Crusts have been out for about 6 months now and we've been getting great feedback, even from non-GF people like Margaret & Steve from Texas

My fiance and I made ... pizza using your 7" pizza crusts and fell in love. We're originally from New York and understand what a great pizza and pizza crust taste like. Steve and I were never able to find a healthy pizza crust product that we liked. Today we visited Kroger's grocery store and browsed through the healthy aisle to find a healthy pizza crust. We found your product and it was the only package left.

Your 7" pizza crust was chewy in the middle and crispy on the outside. These were the most delicious pizzas we have ever tasted in our life.....thanks to your product. And thanks to your product I have convinced my fiance to make healthy pizza, at home, using your product when he has a pizza craving. Your product will definitely help us live a better and healthier lifestyle. I can't wait to try some of your other products.

I have just tried you 7 inch pizza crusts. They are absolutely delicious! Usually when my husband has pizza I cheat on my gluten free diet and have a piece of "real pizza" and then pay the price. Last night I made my own pizza with your pizza crust and I can honestly say I will no longer cheat. Your crusts are fantastic. THANK YOU!

Our KinniTOOS are the #1 selling GF cream cookie in North America and it's because of people like Erin.

I felt compelled to write to tell you how amazing your KinniToos chocolate creme sandwiches cookies are! So outstanding I had to blog about themBlogLink And have been sharing them with everyone.

Bravo to your company for making such a wonderful Gluten-Free cookie - and for giving me back a taste of my childhood.

(the blog post is a nice read... "The first bite brought tears to my eyes." makes us remember why we do this.)

This is a 2 product comment from Sara via our website

I just wanted to thank you for making the BEST gluten free products anywhere... I don't know how you do it, but the quality and taste of every Kinnikinnick product I've ever had far surpasses any other gluten free brand out there. I just had your [S'moreables ]graham crackers for the first time since going gluten free three years ago, and I swear they are even better than I remember real graham crackers tasting! And your K-TOO cookies -- I never thought I'd be able to have anything remotely resembling an Oreo again in my life, but your cookies are pretty close! So I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU, and keep up the good work.

Our donuts have always been popular, but since we reformulated them last year, we've seen a big increase in comments like this short but sweet comment from Karen via our webpage

The donuts are AWESOME!!!!!!!!

and from imightbeodd via Twitter

Kinnikinnick hit it out of the ballpark with their gluten-free donuts!! MmmMm

Trying to talk myself out of eating a 2nd Kinnikinnick GF Chocolate Dipped donut...It's not working.

(sorry Steph ;)

Feedback from our latest change, the new Hot Dog & Hamburger buns is also starting to show up like this one from Alan in CT.

Just wanted to say that your new and improved hot dog rolls are awesome! Not too bulky, great consistency and fantastic taste! I can finally enjoy hot dogs again. I'm heading back to the store to stock up on them.

Twice Kinnikinnick suprised me this week! First found the new hot dog buns at our not so local health food store - and kids loved them...just days before Independance Day BBQ! Then I find our local (less than 1 mile!) TARGET is one of 2 "test-market" stores stocking Kinnikinnick as well as toehr GF products. Banner week!

We even found a review on Flickr from thePlaidMushroom

First time eating a gluten free basic bread that I really enjoyed. see all the air-pockets? it's like real bread!

I am Kinnikinnick's biggest fan. in the world. I LOVE KINNIKINNICK's PRODUCTS!!! ALL OF THEM!!!

It's great when we get a letter from a newly diagnosed celiac like Seaneen

I was diagnosed with "silent" Celiac Disease less than 2 weeks ago and to say that the diagnosis came out of left field would be a big understatement.

I have been incredibly lucky, however, to have discovered your products almost immediately (the Sunflower Flax Seed bread was the second one I tried, after a horrible first experience with another company's product) and I have been on the hunt for more ever since. I have been fighting frustration and disappointment as I move through life and realize many of my favorite foods are now off limits.

Thank you for your amazing products. I have only just started to explore your website and just finished reading your story and the Kinniki-What?? portion. The analogy of your company being like the bearberry plant really touched me, and just makes me love your company more.

Thank you!!!

Our waffles get great reviews too like this one from Asia (a person not the place):

About a year and a half ago I discovered your Original Homestyle Waffles and fell in love with them. They were the first gluten free waffle I actually enjoyed and I found them to be just as tasty as a certain name brand wheat waffle.

That's just a quick selection of what we've been seeing from email, our website feedback, twitter and from the blog. We actually still get hand written notes too. We read all these to our staff at our monthly staff birthday parties and it really helps keep them motivated to bring you the best products possible.

Couple of additional things to round out the post today.

I've just added a Filter By Allergen feature to our website. Look for the "Free Of Search" button on our Browse/Buy Product pages. Click what ingredients you want to avoid and the category will show you what's available.

3 comments:

As your self proclaimed #1 fan, I was elated to see you found my flickr review of your hamburger buns!

Having tried another brand of gluten free bread when first diagnosed 3 years ago, I'd basically written-off bread and buns from my diet. But, knowing how great all your other products were, I gave the buns a try and they were amazing. So, I ran out and bought the Tapioca Rice bread too. I just ate my first peanut butter sandwich in 3 years. It was awesome.

My sister and 2 cousins have recently been diagnosed with gluten intolerance as well as many other family members having just found out they have a wheat allergy. I tell them all the same thing: buy Kinnikinnick and forget all the other brands!

FYI, I made my sister's wedding cake in June from your cake mixes. :) No one could tell they were gluten free because they tasted and looked just like the gluten-filled variety.

Hi Carol, Currently it's not available in the UK but we are in the process of getting tariff and importation approvals. Our mixes and cookies will be the first to be available. I can't say when as our applications are in the system but we are hoping to start shipping in the new year.